Shino's Curse Mark
by winged gorganzola
Summary: Shino is held captive in Sound, as bait for Naruto. Will he survive?


Hey, all! This is an older one of mine that went through an agonizing rewrite. I'll be redoing a lot of older stuff in between writing my newer fics, so this won't be the last.

Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Narutoverse except I suppose this fic, which was done for amusement and not for profit.

**Shino's Curse Mark**

A long, piercing wail echoed through the compound, causing many of its inhabitants to flinch. The screeching and crying of captive ninja had gone on almost nonstop for the last few weeks, the prisoners themselves being switched out every few days.

Some of the residents said the screams never got old, and torture was an effective, legitimate way to get information. Others would say that it became grating on the ears after about forty seconds.

"Ugh! That's the thirteenth scream I've heard from that guy today," a man griped. Orochimaru's 'experiments' had given him a superhuman sense of hearing, the torture chambers were his least favorite place. "Can't Kabuto keep them quiet?"

As part of a plot to lure the Kyuubi to his clutches, the serpentine sannin had taken to ambushing randomly selected ninja in the Leaf Village and dragging them back to his den in the Sound. Sasuke had managed, but the next victim wasn't nearly so lucky.

"STOP! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING! JUST STOP IT ALREADY!" Shino cried as another one of his bugs was crushed beneath the cruel heel of his captor.

"You're an insect, Aburame," replied the silver-haired man. "Insects are beneath all, and they must be flattened." Kabuto drove this point home by stamping out three more of the beloved beetles.

"You're a monster, Yakushi," spoke the bug-user.

"That's the idea, little insect. _Everything is beneath a monster_."

Sasuke himself was starting to lose patience with Kabuto's antics. He didn't particularly care for Aburame, nor was he bothered by the smashing of beetles or the look of extreme pain Aburame wore. But. THAT. _SCREAMING._

"NOO! PLEASE, STOP THIS! STOP AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Every crushed bug brought a deeper grimace to the man's features, each beetle pulled apart brought tears. Kabuto had barely need to touch Shino at all, his insects seemed to take all the pain. Killing ten at once had inflicted the sensation one hundred fold.

Sasuke had had enough of this. Either Shino went home, or he was going to hurt somebody. It was approximately three seconds before he decided to take action.

"EEEEEEUUUUAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Kabuto. Enough." Sasuke's words startled both of them. "There are quicker ways to do this."

"Orochimaru will be glad to hear you've returned to us, Sasuke. Do you have new information on Naruto-kun?"

Shino only gaped.

Sasuke only nodded.

"Oh good," said the purple-clad ninja. "You can stay here with Buggy Boy then, Sasuke. I'll tell Orochimaru of this _personally._"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Kabuto wasn't special to the snake sannin. He was a tool, like all the others. Kissing ass wouldn't help him.

A few minutes rolled by of Sasuke and Shino staring at eachother in disappointment. Shino for getting captured, Sasuke for remaining so. When Orochimaru finally burst through the door, the pair had run out of things to not talk about.

"Sasuke-kun, _darling_, you're back! I've been simply bored to _tears_ without my favorite little Uchiha. Did you miss me? I've missed _you__, _you know. I've missed the man who wears my ropes so _boldly_!"

Sasuke felt a blush creeping up. He _did_ wear ropes.

"Sasuke, I didn't know you were into him like that," Shino snickered, after Orochimaru left.

"I'm not."

Shino just stared.

"Hn."

More blank staring.

"I'm _not._"

A raised eyebrow.

A fuming Sasuke.

"Just out of here already."

Shino didn't speak, but instead turned his head to the cuffs binding him to the wall.

Sasuke grunted in irritation, but removed the leather.

_The bug-user crouched in his freedom, calling all his remaining beetles to him. After they returned to their burrows in his skin, Shino stood and left the room, Sasuke following close behind. They reached the dungeons, where Shino's gear was. The next stop was one of the sub-dungeons, where the other prisoners were held. _

_Though Sasuke felt no need to free the other ninja, he was certainly smart enough to not want battle with ___thousands of chakra-eating bugs___. So he pointed to the far end of the wall, where the keys to the cells were hanging, and left Shino to his own devices. Orochimaru would be calling for him._

Finally, he had gotten out of that place. It was hard enough to endure the advances of a sexual predator, but so many of his little friends had been killed by a man who may as well be called Beetle himself, for all his sneaking. Shino was sore in more ways than one, and it was high time to get home.

It took him about three weeks to get back to Konoha with the other prisoners. The ones that could walk carried the ones that couldn't, and the ones who could walk _straight _led the way. His teammates greeted him with jubilation, and Tsunade acknowledged the fact that he was there. Shortly afterward, she sent him along to the hospital.

"Hey Shino!" called Sakura. That's right, she worked for the hospital now.

He said nothing, but waved at her.

"So I guess Tsunade sent you here, right?" queried the pinkette.

Shino nodded, but said nothing more.

"That's what I figured," Sakura replied. "Alright, follow me, and I'll look you over."

She led him through various hallways, until eventually, she found the exam rooms.

"Well," she said, "I don't think you're bleeding. Take off your shirt."

He didn't like exposing his body to people he barely knew, and his recent ordeal only reinforced his disinclination, but he complied regardless. Sakura was a medic-nin. She knew what she was doing.

The only holes she found were from his insect companions, and aside from bruising and scrapes, there was nothing wrong with his upper half. She seemed satisfied to find little injury, and told him to remove his pants, so she could continue the examination.

He obeyed, but with discomfort. Medic-nin or not, she was still a girl, and he was still stripping.

His legs had the same insect burrows and bruising that this torso had sustained, but the bruises were much heavier in the upper thighs. Sakura frowned, but said nothing. It was only upon a closer inspection that she voiced her concern. Something inky black was poking out from the rim of his underwear.

"Shino, what's that?"

He raised his eyebrow at her question, clearly confused.

"Don't raise your eyebrow to me, Bug Boy," she reprimanded. "Take off the boxers."

Though he shouldn't have a problem with this, (as he was at a hospital) he still felt strange about removing his last bit of clothing in front of her. Nevertheless, he obeyed.

Yep, it was a mark. A very specific mark. A very specific, curse-related, tantrum-inducing seal. Just like Sasuke's.

Sakura had difficulty finding the words to iterate her shock at such a terrible blemish on an otherwise well-sculpted body. So she stared. And stared. And _stared._

It took a good few minutes and some prompting before the slack-jawed medic could recover enough to speak. When she finally did, her words were incredulous.

"Mercy, Shino. Of all the places to get a curse mark, why in the world did you let him bite you _there_?"


End file.
